Disc Jockey

The Frisbee floats through the air on a brisk breeze, soaring past the orange cones at 20, 30 and 40 yards.

Turbo follows its course, his muscular legs gleaming as he gallops downfield to make a midair catch.

"Good boy," John Misita shouts to his dog, partner, roommate and friend.

Whoever said a dog is a man's best friend must have had Turbo in mind.

For four years, this mixed-breed male has been Misita's constant companion. Together, they train and compete in world-class Frisbee championships. They travel the country, playing Frisbee in stadium shows and circus arenas. They live together in Parkland, sharing the same bed.

They read each other's body language. Share each other's affection, pain and joy.

"He's king of the hill," Misita says as the two practice on this sunny morning in a Coral Springs park for the upcoming Southeast Regional Final of the Friskies ALPO Canine Frisbee Disc Championships.

Drawing the top 50 Frisbee-playing dogs from six states, the regional competition next Saturday at Miami's Tropical Park will send two winners to the world championship in September in Washington, D.C.

Turbo, nicknamed Bo, has been a regional winner before, but has never won the world title.

At age 5, he is near the top of his game. Lean and muscular at 52 pounds, his caramel-colored coat is silky and his ears are short and pointed. Instinctively he lifts his paw in a retriever-like stance, a sign he is alert and ready.

Although Bo's heritage is unknown, Misita suspects he is part vizsla, a breed of medium-sized hunting dogs originating in Hungary that have short, smooth rusty-gold coats.

A mixture of muscle, speed and intensity, Bo placed third in the world during his first year of serious Frisbee competition in 1996.

Now, with the regional contest just days away, Misita and Turbo practice throws and catches, as well as about 20 crowd-pleasing maneuvers that are crucial for the showmanship component.

Side flips. Jumps. Up, down or sideways, Turbo catches the Frisbee. While leaping over Misita's back. Or landing in his arms. Running under his legs. Watch him walk on his hind legs, balancing the Frisbee on his head before Misita brushes the disc into the air for another midair catch.

Misita is throwing against a fickle wind that steers the Frisbee off course.

"Look how good he is," he says proudly as Turbo zigzags the field, catching every Frisbee.

You lucky dog

Turbo wasn't born into a champion's life, or even one fit for a dog.

Five years ago, when he was a puppy, a woman found him "skin and bones" eating out of a trash can on U.S. 441 in Hollywood. Thousands of dogs and cats are abandoned in South Florida each year. Some wind up at the Humane Society and are adopted. Many more die on the street.

But Turbo got lucky.

When Linda Towery found him, she took him home and nursed him back to health. While searching for a permanent home, she noticed one day how he tugged an old Frisbee out of a tree, eager to play. Eventually, she contacted Misita, who was competing in Frisbee contests with his dog C.J.

"I came to see him and I fell in love with him," Misita recalls of his introduction to Turbo on Easter Sunday 1995.

Misita took Turbo home and started tossing a Frisbee around the yard.

"He loved it," he says as Turbo drops a Frisbee at his feet. "It's just like a kid who needs to learn how to play. With Turbo, I saw the focus and the drive in him. He's an incredibly smart dog who just wants to do whatever I ask him."

Today, Misita and Turbo train every morning at the park, then swim in the pool for 30 minutes. Turbo rests for the remainder of the day, while Misita does contract work as a private investigator. At night, the two sometimes jog.

Five years after he was rescued from a trash can, Turbo has become a two-time regional champion and a two-time world finalist in Frisbee.

"Someday we're going to win it all," Misita says.

Ashley in the outfield

Frisbee has always been a game. A backyard pastime. Made for picnics and sunny days at the beach. But 25 years ago, canine Frisbee began a leap from the back yard to big-time stadium shows and the top-dog league of world championships.

It was another American pastime that proved the catalyst for bringing canine Frisbee into millions of living rooms.

During the early 1970s, the Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds were playing in the pennant race at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Alex Stein, who had moved to California hoping to break into show business with his amazing whippet, Ashley, sneaked the dog into the stadium under his coat. Ashley Whippet could run at break-neck speed and could jump 9 feet into the air to catch a Frisbee.

During a break between innings, Stein and Ashley dashed onto the diamond. Ashley thrilled the crowd with her flying leaps.

Stein was soon arrested and Ashley temporarily lost in the stadium. But the crowd's response didn't go unnoticed by the late Irv Lander, who did promotional work for Wham-O, maker of the Frisbee brand disc.